Sweet Beginnings
by Kessie-Louise
Summary: Everyone's story starts somewhere, and for Bridget Misako, her story begins with a boy named Kentin. From the day they met, to how he inadvertently got her expelled from her old school; Bridget's world is never going to be the same again. Hinted Ken/OC, though mostly one sided.
1. Chapter 1

I'm a hopeless romantic, but that doesn't mean I've never thought of not ever having a boyfriend. Before I started to attend Sweet Amoris High, my life was easy and uncomplicated. Well… most of the time. Way back, months before Sweet Amoris, I went to a sweet little place called Moore Allen High School. I guess it all really started when I met Ken… Yeah, yeah I believe it was. Because since I met him, he would follow my tracks everywhere… which inadvertently led to me being expelled from Moore Allen.

* * *

"Wake up Miss Misako!" my teacher yelled, smacking her pointer on my desk. "English is not a time to be napping!"

I bolted upright at my teacher's voice and of the force she smacked the pointer on my desk.

"Shakespeare wrote Hamlet!" I shouted upon waking up. The class snickered at me, when most of them were half asleep like I was. Some of us just snored louder than others. The teacher gave me a hardened sigh; something I knew all too well meant she wasn't happy with me.

"This is the third time this week I've caught you sleeping in my class Bridget Misako." The teacher said in a stern tone.

"Sorry ma'am." I said, slightly meaning it.

"This is the last time Bridget." The teacher said, softly placing a piece of paper on my desk. "Go to the principal's office now, he'll be expecting you."

Slowly, I got up from my desk and made the march to the principal's office. I tried hard to walk as dignity as possible but it was hard to do when no one else was in the halls at the time to begin with and you were slightly embarrassed.

I walked up to the principal's office and hesitated for a few moments before knocking. It was only a few moments before I heard him say,

"Come in."

I opened the door and found I wasn't the only one sent to the principal's office this early in the day. There was a boy in the room with thick framed glasses, who turned around to look at me when I came in. After getting a good look, he blushed and turned to face the principal again as if he never turned around.

"Please sit Bridget," the principal told me, "I was just about to see Kentin out."

I shrugged with indifference and took a seat next to the kid, Kentin as it turned out his name was, while the principal finished up his sermon to Kentin.

"I do not want to inform your father over this matter Kentin, and if I have to I might will. Understand?"

"Yes sir, I do." Kentin told the principal, not looking up at him.

"You may leave now Kentin."

"Yes sir," Kentin said before dashing out of the room as quickly as he could without looking at me or the principal. I was actually… kind of impressed by how quickly he left. It's strange, but it's true.

"Now, Miss Bridget Misako," the principal said, his attention on me now, "Did you dream of being suspended from school this morning? Because it will be the case soon enough if you continue to fall asleep in class."

I flinched at his words, even though it wasn't that much of a threat and I knew I'd have a shot at a second chance some how.


	2. Chapter 2

The punishment wasn't horrible, but it still restricted my normal activities. All of the extra stuff I did (like the botany club, which I rather enjoyed) I could no longer do, and if I wanted to participate in the school talent show that took place later this week (which I did since I had signed up for it since the day the first flyer came out) then I had to help work backstage and only participate in one event (as opposed to the max of two). But if I acted out again or did something to effect another student's grade (God knows how I'd be able to do THAT) then I'd be expelled. Oh, and my grade in English would be going down a significant amount because of my dozing, thus making my B+ average a staggering C- average. Am I the only one to think that's slightly asinine?

So, for the next few days, I helped decorate the area where the show was going to take place and helped adjust the lighting. And who, of all people, was also working on the show was Kentin. He too, apparently, had been told that to lift whatever charges he was accused of, he had to work backstage for the show. He was the one that tagged me down first.

"H-hey!" he shouted, although we were a good mile away from each other. I looked over and waved back, not really wanting to initialize a conversation at the moment. But he took it differently however, and half trotted-half ran over to me. "Y-you're Bridget, r-right?"

"Yes." I agreed with a smile. "And you're… Kentin, right?"

He blushed heavily.

"Yeah…" he said, rather dreamily, as if he liked the way I said something. Then it hit me; did he… _like_ me?

"See you around." I said, too cheerfully to be truly nice, as I picked up a box with strung lights in it. Immediately, he reacted and got the other end of the box. I quickly inched my fingers back from his as he put his hands on the box to avoid any 'accidental romantic' moments. I've read one too many romance novels in my time to NOT to that, which Kentin apparently wanted so when our fingers didn't touch. He seemed a bit disappointed that his plan didn't work.

"I want to help you." He insisted.

"I don't need help carry this weightless thing." I told him, fibbing at a bit (the box was heavier than it looked, trust me). "I think someone would need your help over with scenery."

"No they don't, I already asked." Kentin informed me. Inside my head I cursed at my luck. So, then Kentin and I moved the box to where it was supposed to go and carefully placed it on the ground.

"Are you going to do something in the talent show?" Kentin then asked. I blinked in surprise.

"Yeah, a dance number," I confirmed. "Ever hear of Jennifer Lopez's Hit the Floor?"

Kentin thought about this for a moment, then nodded to show he understood.

"Cool." He said in approval. "I can't do anything for the talent show; Mr. Simmons decided it would be part of my punishment."

"I'm… sorry to hear that?" I said, not sure how to combat that since he seemed rather glad he wasn't allowed to.

"Don't be," he said, growing rather chipper, "I didn't want to be in a talent show any way. Don't really have a talent I wanna show off, you know?"

I couldn't think of anything to say in response, so all that came out was a very dumb sounding "Uh…" which Kentin took to mean I was falling for him or something, because then he gushed;

"I think you'd be pretty good on stage. You'd have all the guys after you when you when you win first place."

"Well… I…" I stammered, making the poor kid think I WAS falling for him, "You can watch an early performance this Thursday, the day before the actual talent show."

"I… I will!" Kentin said happily. I smiled back, but I bit my lower lip later as he left. Did I… just create a monster? Or encourage a love sick puppy, if that? Well, I knew one thing that was certainly going through my head; what just happened?!


	3. Chapter 3

That Thursday, after my usual preparing of the stage for the show tomorrow, a stage hand in charge of making sure everyone was where they were supposed to be when called me over.

"You're Bridget Misako, right?" she asked. A petite thing with stylish, wire framed glasses. I've seen her around school before, and she's very particular. And by that, I mean slightly obsessive compulsive. It was more than likely the reason why she got the job of ordering everyone for the show. OCD people are always awesome at organizing events because they really can't make themselves just let it go.

"Yeah, I am." I told her, responding to her question. "I'm doing a dance number to Jennifer Lopez's Hit the Floor."

"I know." She said, with a simple blink. "I was told to round everyone up for a walkthrough of the talent show, so we knew who would go up when. Apparently you are one of the first acts, so you need to be up on stage soon."

"Alrighty," I told her, so cheerful that it slightly sickened me when I thought over the conversation later, "I'll be over there soon."

The stage hand rolled her eyes before going to flag other students that were going to take place in the show. I felt rather ecstatic personally, and immediately went to wait with the other students already rounded up by the stage. There were about four or five other students that went on stage before I did, and I hate waiting. Luckily though; the magic act only did one stunt, the violinist did a rather short but lovely piece, the twins juggled until they reached four objects that their younger sibling threw at them, the soloist sang as high as she could to break a champagne glass, and Sylvester Frinkle (a rather… odd kid that was in tenth grade) recited the alphabet reversed while burping. Then, it was my turn.

I got on stage and took my position. Before the music started I could hear someone shout my name and gave a whoop of support. Without even looking I knew it was Kentin. Who else could it have been?

I took a deep sigh in as the music started. Then, I let go and let the music lead me into perfect harmony while I bust out all the moves I had planned for the song. Okay, I admit, I didn't compose the entire dance alone. It was actually an old recital dance I did a few years ago that I remembered pretty well. Our teacher that year was once a show gal herself, and made us do all these crazy stunts and flips whether we wanted to do them or not. I reused a lot of the moves, but a lot was edited out. There was only one of me, not nine. As the song neared the end, I finished with a cartwheel that went into a split. Almost instantly, Kentin stood up and cheered at my performance. If my face wasn't already red from dancing so hard, I would have blushed in embarrassment.

"You can call me Ken, by the way, if you want." Kentin later informed me as everyone got ready to go home for the day.

"Okay…" I agreed, not sure what he was getting at.

"And… and maybe I could call you Barbie." He then suggested, I nearly choked on my water that I was drinking. He then quickly added, "Because… you know… Ken and Barbie are…"

This time, I did choke on my water. It took me several seconds to recover. Kentin watched anxiously, awaiting my answer.

"No." I said finally, shaking my head. "No, no, no, no!"

Kentin's face fell, and I quickly picked this up.

"You're a sweet guy Kentin, really," I quickly said, "But I'm not… interested in you like that. Maybe friends, yes, if you stop being so…. so clingy! But I don't love you!"

Kentin opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it again. He was surprised to say the least, and I felt guilt. I felt guilty for just shouting at him like that. He really is a sweet guy… but that didn't mean I liked him, or hated him for that matter. It's just that… he is… well… I have no words to explain it, but it causes my head to hurt and tugs my heart even more.

Suddenly, Kentin then turned around and ran away from me.

"Kentin, wait!" I shouted after him, but he didn't stop. "Kentin! Ken! KEN!" It was too late now though, he had left the room. I let out a groan of frustration before looking down at the ground. What lay down there made me groan in even more frustration.

With the revelation that Ken's love was one sided, he had dropped a small object on the ground that he had planned to give me. A ring. A pink plastic ring with a B on it that was more than likely bought at the dollar store for little to nothing for little girls to play dress-up with. But he had bought it with meaning. All my nights reading romance novels with a flashlight with a near dead battery taught me that much.

"Oh no…" I sighed, picking up the ring off the ground and found that it surprisingly fit my pinkie finger well, "What did I just do…?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Ken's not my boyfriend, Google!" I shouted at my computer screen. "I just need a way to apologize to him!"

I groaned as I banged my head on the laptop keyboard in frustration. For a whole flipping week I had been trying to find a way to apologize to Ken about what happened. He came for the talent show (that I got third place in overall) but disappeared soon after. I had an idea about how to apologize, but he was never around for me to tell him. Geez, and I thought Twenty Shades of Grey was messed up… and this is real life!

Finally, desperate times came to desperate measures. I got my phone and speed dialed the one person I usually trusted in this kind of situation.

"Auntie Agatha?" I said into the phone after I was redirected to voice mail, "It's me Bridget… I need your help. Please call me back when you can. It… it's kind of urgent, so please call back as soon as you can. Thank you Auntie Agatha."

Not a moment later my aunt called back. Her voice was as bubbly as it was loud, and she is as obnoxious as she is caring. I love her.

"What's wrong Bridgie?" she asked, using a nickname I didn't really care for nor dislike.

I told my aunt everything about Ken, starting from when we first met to just recently. She listened to every word without interruption until I declared I was done.

"That is a rather fine predicament Bridgie…" she said, "Do you have any idea how you wanted to make up to him?"

I told her what I had planned, and cringed soon after when my thoughts were spoken out loud for the first time.

"That's so sweet!" Aunt Agatha gushed.

"I don't wanna be sweet Auntie!" I plead to her, "I just want to say I'm sorry to him, not make him think that I really do like him."

"Alright, alright sweetie, Auntie Tata's got a trick or two up her sleeve." My aunt encouraged. This only made me fear my aunt because her ideas were (in a single word) extravagant, and not always in a good way either…

The next day being a Saturday, I walked over to Ken's house after searching for him on the school's directory that was on their website. I paused a moment to gather my dignity and bravery before ringing the doorbell. Almost instantly, the door opened to (no surprise really) Ken.

"Bridget?" he asked in wonder, although it was kind of obvious he was expecting me, although he shouldn't have.

"I wanted to tell you something." I told him, all expression gone in my face. I was serious; dead serious. So when he started to shut the door, was it expected?

"Wait!" I told him, stopping him from shutting the door. He looked at me with a puzzled look. Poor kid, I'm sure I was confusing him. What I did next would have confused him even more.

"I don't know if I can yell any louder, how many times I've kicked you outta here… or said something insulting?" I started to sing P!NK's song slowly. My cheeks began to grow warm as they got red from some degree of embarrassment. "I can be so mean when I wanna be; I am capable of really anything. I can cut you into pieces… but my heart is broken…"

Slowly, Ken started to open the door and stared at me. Partially in wonder, while also being rather confused.

"Please, please don't leave me. I always say how I don't need you, but it's always gonna come right back to this: Please, please don't leave me…"

After I finished, the awkward silence hit in. I'm sure you could have seen the wheels turning in his brain if his glasses didn't completely obscure his eyes. Not that I believe he was dense, definitely not, but I might have confused him with yelling at him for suggesting we were an item, then later singing to him like a true girlfriend would do. If this was in a chick flick or something, I would have laughed. But since I was in real life, this was far from funny.

"So…" Ken finally said, his thoughts slowly becoming spoken, "We can be friends… but not boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Exactly." I agreed.

"Do I still have a chance though?" Ken asked hopefully. "I don't think I can ever forget you. You're just so…" (Insert a dreamy sigh here.) "So wonderful…"

I had to think about this for a moment. Again, my conflicting emotions that involved him emerged again.

"I would go out with you… if you were the last male on earth." I admitted. "But don't EVER dream about repopulating though."

"So I have a chance?" Ken asked, getting really excited.

"Yes." I agreed with a sigh. "A slim one, but yes, you do."

Then, in a happy moment I couldn't dare tear him out of, he leaned over and gave me a small and quick peck on the lips before I could prevent him from doing so. And for my first kiss; it felt pretty nice.


	5. Chapter 5

Remember how Aunt Agatha told me she had a trick or two up her sleeve? Well, I didn't think much of what she had planned until Monday. Apparently, my dear auntie was in good cohorts with the principal. She told him everything, and (although I don't know fully what my aunt was doing) the principal didn't take too kindly to her advice. Unfortunately for me, at the same time, Ken's grades had taken a pit fall around the time of the talent show and the principal knew how to put two and two together. So, now imagine my surprise when my homeroom teacher informed me I had been expelled. Again, if this was in a chick flick I would have laughed, but real life was rudely reminding me how it wasn't a laughing matter at all.

"I warned you Miss Misako." The principal said sternly. "Now you have to pack up whatever remains in your locker and go home. You are no longer allowed at Moore Allen High School. I will contact your parents with the details when they come to pick you up."

When I think about it, it's a bit funny how no one's mentioned my parents up until now.

"But sir," I plead, "The only other high school is a town away, my parents would never approve that. The only family member I have that lives in that town is my aunt."

"I don't know what to tell you Miss Misako." The principal said, shaking his head.

* * *

The car ride home was tense and horrible. My parents were not happy at all at the news, and I got an earful of it at home. With incredible timing, Aunt Agatha called me up to see how it went over at school. She ended up getting an earful of my parents' rants as well. Bless my aunt, because then she suggested I attend the school where she lives.

I left the room at the demand of my parents as they put my aunt on speaker so they could discuss the matter further. Although it went unsaid, I had been grounded until my parents and aunt decided what they were going to do with me.

I laid down on my bed and turned on my radio through its remote control. Pixie Lott's Mama Do instantly started to play as I stared up at my bedroom ceiling. I was gonna die, I could feel it in my bones. First, my parents were going to verbally kill my aunt because of her natural eagerness to help me, then they were going to hunt down me and tap dance on my grave when they were finished burying me.

As I thought over my inevitable punishment, there was a soft ping at my window. Then another, and then another. Curious, I got up from my bed and went over to my window. Another ping and I opened the window, almost getting hit by something in the process.

"Hey!" I angrily shouted out the window while taking a quick glance to see what had been thrown at me. A pebble…. a pebble at been hurtled at me. But why? When I looked out the window, I soon knew why; Ken.

"What are you doing?!" I hissed at him, rather silently so the neighbors didn't over hear; or worse, my parents.

"I came to say I'm sorry that you were expelled," he said, sounding sincerely upset.

Should be, I thought on the back of my mind, you're the reason why I was expelled to begin with.

"What are you going to do now?" he then asked.

"I dunno." I admitted. "My parents are talking over with my aunt now. There's a school in the town she lives in."

If I had known then that by saying this, he'd follow me there when I did go away, I would have never had said it.

"Have they decided anything yet?" he asked.

"Am I still alive?" I responded.

A silence followed after this as Pixie Lott ended and made way into Girl's Generation. I hate 'Gee' so much now…

"Can I have your number?" Ken suddenly asked. At the same time, my parents barked my name from the living room.

"Sorry," I told him as I shut the window, "I have to see to judgment day."

And I left him there, and later found I had some sense of regret for doing so.


	6. Chapter 6

"Before you say anything," I started to say to my parents before judgment was passed, "I didn't know that breaking the kid's heart would lower his grades any!"

My parents looked at each other, then at me.

"That's not what we're going to talk about Bridgie." My mother informed me, using my nickname. It was then I realized I might have a shot at surviving. People only use my nickname when they are being nice… or in pity.

"Then what are we going to talk about?" I asked.

"Sit down." My father said, gesturing at a chair that was across from the couch he and Mom were sitting on. I did so, and my father and mother exchanged glances for a few moments to decide who should talk first. My mother always won stare down competitions, so my father talked first.

"Bridgie, we know that you've been expelled. Both your mother and I have been contacted by your principal on the matter."

I cringed; not that I could help it. My parents were discussing whether I remained alive or not to see my children. But my parents were using my nickname, so the punishment couldn't have been that bad… could it?

"The only school you could attend now is in your aunt's hometown," my father continued, "And since your mother and I cannot simply uproot from our present job situations, it seems that you may have to…"

My father paused and looked at my mother. I'm sure why though; Aunt Agatha was HIS sister after all. He'd know all her quirks and attributes enough to know she'd take good care of me for another year or so. Oh… wait…

"Agatha has agreed to let you live with her in her apartment until you graduate," my mother finally said.

"Really?!" I exclaimed happily. I jumped out of my seat and hugged my parents. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"So you're fine with the change?" my father asked curiously.

"Well… no." I admitted. "But it's a change. I'll make some new friends, and maybe start out with a better rep than what I have now at Moore Allen. How bad is it going to be?"

Famous. Last. Words.

"Are you sure Bridgie? We won't be able to see you as often, and we all know how crazy your aunt can get." Mom asked. I love my parents dearly, but they're acting like they'd never see me again for as long as I'm alive. Do they really distrust my aunt THAT much?

"Of course, I'll go start packing." And with that, I left the room. My parents gave each other the same glance.

"She's YOUR daughter," Mom sing-songed to Dad as she got up to go make dinner.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dad shouted at her, joking a bit.

* * *

I spent the rest of the night packing all my clothes. The next day, my father and I packed the pack of the family SUV.

"Are you sure you want to live with Agatha, Bridget?" my father asked. "My sister…"

"Loves me Daddy," I told him, interrupting his thought. "Auntie Tata would give her life for me, you know that."

My father grimaced at Aunt Agatha's nickname. I'm not sure why he didn't like that nickname; she used to say 'Ta-ta my dear' all the time before leaving a room with other people in it when I was younger. Aunt Agatha once said he didn't like it because it reminded him of something else (something I'll be informed of when I'm older, apparently), among other things he doesn't like about her.

"Just… remember to bear with her Bridget. Please?"

I smiled at my father.

"I will Dad, don't worry. How much embarrassment could my aunt do that my own parents haven't granted so far?"

Again I repeat; Famous. Last. Words.

* * *

I was so pumped for the trip to my aunt's apartment that the car ride over didn't seem that long. My aunt was waiting outside the apartment for me and helped bring my bags in. She showed me a spare bedroom with a sweet modern bed without a headboard on it and a matching desk. Oh! And the white closet and organizer combo with cute pink butterfly stickers on the closet's door!

I thanked my aunt for the room and dug around for my Bose speaker to put it on the desk to plug it in and turn it on. P!NK's One Last Kiss started to blast every section of my new room. Oh yes, I could get use to this. From my window, I could see the clothing store (that was only a couple feet away) and my new school. I was instantly filled with bubbly glee when I saw the school from my window. In a few days I'd be starting going there on a 5-day weekly basis. Sure, the end of my old life had a rather bittersweet end, but my new life was starting to have a sweet beginning.

Sweet Amoris High School, prepare to meet Bridget Misako!


End file.
